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A long-standing rivalry with the police is ignited. A rift with a senior officer launches an extensive manhunt.

After Srinivas's death, the STF decided to kill Veerappan and his gang members on sight. An entire army of policemen from Karnataka and Tamilnadu was assembled to nab Veerappan dead or alive. Veerappan did not flee, and met his pursuers head on. In 1992, the state governments of the 2 states agreed to provide all resources to end the Veerappan menace. Best police officers from Karnataka police were assigned to the STF, including Shakeel Ahmed and Chief of Police Harikrishna. Goverment declared a Rs 20 Lakhs bounty for Veerappan. With this, one key gang member Gurunath Achari was caught and killed. Gurunath was in charge of weapons. Veerappan retaliated by attacking a police station at Ramapura and killing 7 policemen. Around the same time, Veerappan's 2nd son was born. Muthu and Veerappan were still hiding in the jungles and walking 40 to 50 kilometers everyday. Veerappan took refuge in the village of Nallur. When the police entered, the villagers did not cooperate and in response, the STF burned down the entire village. Shakeel Ahmed was in charge of the Nallur operation. Veerappan retaliated by killing Harikrishna and Shakeel Ahmed in a carefully planned encounter, when they were travelling through the jungle without security. The killings turned the public opinion against Veerappan and there were protests in Mysore against him. Veerappan was switching between Karnataka and Tamilnadu to evade the police. The police of the 2 states started to coordinate their actions. New policemen stepped up to take the place of those who were gunned down by Veerappan. Tamilnadu police had Rambo Gopalakrishnan, who formed an unit called the Jungle Patrol to hunt for Veerappan. Rambo was tough with the people of the jungle. He tortured them for information on Veerappan. Veerappan challenges Rambo to face him directly. Rambo takes 2 vehicles full of policemen to encounter Veerappan but is ambushed himself. Veerappan planted bombs on the road to Palar (in Mysore district of Karnataka) and exploded them, just as the vehicles passed over. 22 policemen died. Rambo Gopalakrishnan survived the attack. 25 Kgs of explosives were used. 3 years since STF was formed, they were nowhere close to nabbing Veerappan. The Tamilnadu and Karnataka STFs were merged into a joint Special Task Force. Veerappan decides to change his public image and tell his own story, for which he gave access to photojournalist Sivasubramaniam. Siva met Veerappan in the jungle and was allowed to take photos. This was the first time that Veerappan's entire team was photographed and the STF was able to find everything about them, their family and how they were supplied. This was Veerappan's biggest mistake. Shankar Mahadev Bidari joined the STF from the Karnataka side. Shankar arrested everybody connected to Veerappan's gang. Hundreds of people were taken into custody and tortured. He questioned every person buying even a kilo of rice. Shankar made inmates drink urine and disrobed women, all to get information on Veerappan. When Veerappan ambushed a police convoy, Shankar shot 8 inmates in cold blood. STF decided that their strategy was not working and adopted anti-guerrilla tactics. The entire Modus Operandi changed to an intelligence-based operation executed by commandos living in the forest and striking at the right time and the right place. Mohan Navas was the commando who started the commando operations. He started putting his informers in the villages and kept track of Veerappan's movements. Veerappan took refuge in the forest around Minchugulli village in Karnataka. When Navas got the information, he planned a joint operation with BSF, Karnataka STF and Tamilnadu STF. 200 policemen descended on Veerappan's camp. Veerappan escaped, but the STF got a glimpse into how Veerappan was living a life in the jungle. He was very well supplied and had access to many modern amenities. Muthu was captured. Veerappan had 157 gang members, but most of them were found and shot one by one. Veerappan could not find anyone. His gang was reduced to 6 members. With Muthu's capture, Veerappan became even more ferocious. By 1996, Veerappan was a hardened criminal. Veerappan engaged Siva to give video interviews that were telecast all over the country. The interviews became a massive success. Veerappan started telling the people how politics should be run.

Muthu was tortured by the police in custody. Her knees were broken, she was given electric shocks in her nipples and genitalia. Muthu was produced in court and was forced to testify. The Karnataka police was the one torturing her, while the Tamilnadu police was trying to protect her. Muthu met her elder daughter after many years when her mother came to see her. Veerappan had no gang left and hence stopped the cycle of violence and retribution. In 1999, the MM Hills jungle was peaceful. The period of peace lasted for 2 years. Veerappan was planning something big. In one of his camp, the police found Che Guevara's translated literature. He was negotiating with a Tamil militant named Maaran. Maaran was from the LTTE and was fighting for the cause of Tamil Nadu Liberation. Maaran believed that Veerappan's forests could be a good base for LTTE's operations. Maaran also educated Veerappan on famous revolutionaries including Prabhakaran, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Karl Marx, Lenin, Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh. Maaran encouraged Veerappan to turn into a leader like them. Veerappan stops his normal activities and starts behaving like a leader. On July 30th, 2000, Veerappan kidnaps famous movie actor Rajkumar. Rajkumar was an icon of Karnataka cinema. His kidnapping brought the entire city of Bangalore to a standstill. Rajkumar was a cultural ambassador of Karnataka. He was loved and respected by everybody. It was unacceptable that an icon like Rajkumar was a helpless victim of a Tamil speaking brigand like Veerappan. Arkesh is the head of the Karnataka STF. Arkesh suggested a surgical strike to release Rajkumar, but the risk was deemed too high. CM SM Krishna fails to contain the protests breaking out all over the state at the anger against the Government's inability to secure Rajkumar's release. STF was pulled back the jungles, so as not to provoke Veerappan. SM Krishna met with Tamilnadu CM Karunanidhi and agree on sending magazine editor Nakkheeran Gopal as the Government's emissary to Veerappan to find out his demands. Gopal had negotiated the release of 9 foresters kidnapped by Veerappan a few years ago. Day 8, Gopal enters the jungle to meet Veerappan. Rajkumar was 71 years old, and the jungle terrain is rough with continuous rain, lightening and cold. Veerappan was 15 kilometers inside the jungle. He gave a list of 10 demands. The demands include compensation for 1991 Cauvery riots, minimum wages for coffee and tea plantation workers, inauguration of a statue of a Tamil poet in Bangalore. There was a Tamil angle to all of Veerappan's demands. The tension between Karnataka and Tamilnadu always existed and now Tamils were being ethnically cleansed in Sri Lanka. There was a feeling that Tamil Nationalists like Maaran were using Veerappan for their purposes. Day 18, and RR Gopal is sent back to the forest for his 4th meeting with Veerappan. Soon, it is Day 50 and Gopal is still the center of attention. His Magazine profits immensely from his fame. Kolathur Mani was a powerful person in Tamilnadu. He was a rich landlord and an influential politician. His hometown hosted and trained the LTTE. Gopal was advised to take Kolathur to meet Veerappan. Veerappan wanted the Cauvery issue to go to the International Court of Justice and wanted Tamil to be the 2nd language of Karnataka. Kolathur advised Veerappan to drop his unreasonable demands. Only one demand could be met. Shankar Bidari had jailed hundreds of villagers under the provisions of TADA, for being Veerappan's associates. All the arrests were without any evidence and no bail could be given for 10 years. Veerappan demanded that all the innocent people languishing in jails in his name, be released. The Karnataka government agreed. But Abdul Karim, father of Shakeel Ahmed, went to the Supreme Court and filed a petition that the Government acting unilaterally to withdraw TADA against the killers of his son, was illegal. Supreme Court puts out a stay order on the release of arrested individuals. Veerappan was furious and believed that the Government will take him seriously only after one of the hostages would be killed. Veerappan had taken a total of 4 hostages including Rajkumar. The hostages heard this, and Nagappa, one of the hostages, decided that he was the least important in the hierarchy and hence the first to be killed. That night Nagappa attacks Veerappan and manages to escape his camp. Nagappa is picked up by the Karnataka police. But the whole state is unhappy as they know that Nagappa has put Rajkumar's life in danger. It is day 70. Veerappan demands that Tamil Nationalist Nedumaran be made the new Government emissary. Nedumaran is a Tamil separatist leader. Nedumaran explains to Veerappan that the dream of a free Tamil state cannot be achieved with a single kidnapping. He expected too much. Veerappan makes a 11th demand of Rs 1000 Crores. 100 Crores in cash and the rest in gold bars. After negotiations, he came down to Rs 100 Crores. The rumors indicated that the Government paid between Rs 10 and 20 Crores to Veerappan. It was Day 90. Muthu was disappointed that Veerappan never asked for her release as part of his demands. Veerappan believed that his wife was collaborating with the police. Tamil nationalists explained to Veerappan that Muthu was bearing the punishment for his crimes and only then did Veerappan agree to meet Muthu and his kids. Maaran ended his relationship with Veerappan, when they saw that Veerappan was connecting with his family. Maaran thought that family can only end the life of a revolutionary. Day 108 and Rajkumar is released by Veerappan. The state administration decides to put an end to the Veerappan regime.

Veerappan had been living in the forest for 30 years. He wanted to go back to his village and even offered to surrender to the Government if they allowed him to spend the last 5 years of his life in his village. Muthu and Veerappan were connected though audio cassettes. Muthu was under very tight observation after her meeting with Veerappan and was not allowed to go anywhere. In the cassette, Veerappan had expressed his desire to meet his family. In 2003, Muthu was shifted to Coimbatore and stayed in a 2 storied house with a family living downstairs. The daughter of the owners, Priya, befriended Muthu. Muthu was instructed to give a different name and say that her husband is in Dubai. Muthu told Priya the truth. Priya expressed her desire to meet Veerappan and she claimed to be a fan. Priya was an informant for Senthamarai Kannan, from the Tamilnadu STF. Senthamarai knew that it was not possible to capture Veerappan inside the forest. His strategy was to lure Veerappan outside the forest. Veerappan had never seen his younger daughter. Senthamarai trained Priya on what to tell Muthu and to give her specific instructions on the meeting location. The ambush was set. But Priya asked many questions to Muthu as they waited for Veerappan and took her to the forest again and again. Muthu got suspicious and felt that something is wrong. Somehow the message got conveyed to Veerappan who turned away after reaching within 20 kilometers of the meeting location. By 2004, the STF was very tactical and very ferocious. Crores of public money had been spent and many good officers were already dead. All in the pursuit of one man. Mr Vijay Kumar took command of the STF. Vijay came from the Special Protection group that provided security to the Prime Minister. Vijay corrected the atrocities conducted by the STF in the villages. He planted a lot of sources in the villages. Vijay acted on the intelligence provided by Senthamarai. A local trader had met Veerappan many times. He provided groceries to Veerappan's gang. He decided to cooperate with the Tamilnadu STF as he had seen all other Veerappan collaborators arrested and sometimes killed by the Karnataka STF. The trader contacted Vijay Kumar. Veerappan wanted the trader to fix him a meeting with Kolathur Mani. Kolathur met Veerappan and could sense that Veerappan was tired from being on the run all the time. Veerappan's eyesight had deteriorated, and he needed eye surgery. He had 70% cataract and could not walk at night. Kolathur convinces Veerappan to come out of the jungle for his surgery. The trader passed this information to Vijay Kumar. Veerappan was also looking for more weapons. Senthamarai intercepted the gun runner who was going to supply the weapons to Veerappan. STF told the gun runner to supply the weapons but also add that they came from LTTE person in Sri Lanka named Mugilan. Mugilan was a fictional character introduced by Senthamarai to infiltrate Veerappan's inner most circle. Senthamarai acted as Mugilan. The gun runner introduces Veerappan to Senthamarai as Mugilan, a powerful figure in LTTE with direct access to Prabhakaran. For 3-4 months Senthamarai supplied LTTE guns and ammunition to Veerappan. Veerappan expressed his desire to get his eye operated in Sri Lanka. Veerappan wanted to escape India and settle in Sri Lanka. 18th of Oct 2004 is decided as the date to cross the sea into Sri Lanka. On the night of the 18th Oct, Veerappan comes out of the jungle in an ambulance with Senthamarai. An ambush takes place and Veerappan is shot dead. Vijay Kumar is celebrated as a hero. Muthu claims that the Government hid the truth. Veerappan's body had his famous mustache trimmed, which was unthinkable. He has 2 bullet holes in his head, while the entire ambulance was peppered with bullets. Veerappan's body was only displayed from the head up. So, Muthu claims that there was a conspiracy. Senthamarai defends that Veerappan is dead and that STF killed him. The details don't interest him or Vijay Kumar. Shankar Bidari took full responsibility for his actions and asked every person of the STF under his command to be spared any investigation. Veerappan was wanted for the killing of 120 people, including 44 police officers. He killed over 1000 elephants and the plundered wealth of sandalwood amounted to Rs 100 Crores. The state governments deployed over 5000 officers and spent over Rs 220 Crores to hunt Veerappan.